


With Friends Like These

by ChimaeraKitten



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, No editing we die like mne, One Shot, Some Swearing, like technically this COULD have happened but probably not, might be a slight AU but also might not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 20:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11516670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChimaeraKitten/pseuds/ChimaeraKitten
Summary: How Artemis got to know both Dick Grayson and Robin before finding out they were the same person.





	With Friends Like These

Artemis felt kind of weird showing up at the “welcome back” concert thing alone, but Bette had told her that it was a huge faux pas at Gotham Academy not to go, unless you were puking your guts out like Bette was. “It’ll be fun!” Bette had said, “At least go enjoy it for me.” So Artemis was here, even though this kind of event was something she would usually steer far clear of.

She spread her blanket out on the grass. There were a few other people with blankets around her, but Artemis was frankly disgusted at how many kids were just lounging around on the slightly damp ground. Did they _know_ how much these uniforms cost?

About twenty feet away, the group of juniors Artemis usually hung out with sat and chatted. Artemis was tempted to join them, but it had always been clear that she’d only been accepted into the group because of Bette. Whenever Bette wasn’t around Artemis didn’t feel _unwelcome_ exactly, but she didn’t feel particularly _welcome_ either. She usually just felt like she was the token diversity character on a TV show.

She’d rather be using her Friday evening to hang out with her Gotham North friends anyway, social suicide be damned.

A voice broke her out of her musings. “Um, hi. Do you mind if we share your blanket?”

Artemis looked up. A younger redheaded girl stood a few feet away, wringing her hands.

“I wouldn’t ask, but well, my friend forgot to bring one. I don’t want to ruin my uniform in the second week of school.” The girl explained.

“Um, yeah, I guess,” Artemis replied, mostly caught off guard that another person that this school had _some_ sense. “Go ahead.”

The girl cracked a smile. “Thanks.” She turned around, and in the same breath said. “Dick! Get your butt over here!”

Artemis looked at the person the girl was calling to. He was a dark haired boy, short, even for a freshman, with black hair and a tan complexion that Artemis couldn’t really place. Mediterranean? He struck her a vaguely familiar.

The kid grinned, said something to whomever he’d been talking to before, and then proceeded to cartwheel across the grass all the way over to Artemis’s blanket. He dropped into a bow and the girl smacked him on the shoulder. “Circus freak. Walk like a normal person.”

The kid did an exaggerated pout. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Artemis watched the entire exchange with mounting confusion. Seemingly sensing her distress, the boy flopped down on the blanket. Sticking his hand out vaguely in her direction. “Dick Grayson. Nice ta meet ‘cha.” She shook his hand; a task made awkward by the angle, and found herself surprised that he had callouses. Logically, she knew he was probably an athlete, but she couldn’t really reconcile the idea of _rich kid_ and _doing work_ in her head.

“Artemis. Artemis Crock.” That was another thing about Gotham Academy that was weird. People always introduced themselves with their full names. It was probably a family connections-slash-politics thing or something. Artemis’s lab partner had introduced himself as “James Johnson, of the Greenfield Johnsons.” Which, pretentious much? Artemis had barely kept herself from laughing.

The girl sat down on the blanket, much more carefully than Dick had. “I’m Barbara Gordon, by the way.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Artemis said, more because it was what she was supposed to say than because she actually was. “Is Gordon as in Commissioner Gordon?”

Barbara smiled. “Yep. And before you ask, no I can’t actually afford this place. His dad—“ She jerked her thumb at Dick where he was still sprawled out on the blanket. “—Started footing the bill after the third kidnapping attempt. Public school doesn’t have the security this place has.”

“Oh.” Artemis said, because that was all she could think to say.

“Hey Artemis,” Dick piped up. “You’re one of the Wayne scholarship kids, right?”

Artemis tensed, preparing for the “Oh, you’re a _poor_ person” looks she’d gotten from half the people here, but Dick didn’t look judgey.

Barbara flicked him. “Like you don’t _know_ that.” She turned to Artemis, explaining, “Bruce Wayne is his foster father, so technically all three of us are here on Wayne money.”

“ _Adoption pending_ father,” Dick added, “Anyway, I only mentioned it because there’s this charity gala we’re inviting all the scholarship kids too next month.” He shrugged, causing his blazer to wrinkle, as he was still lying down. “It’s going to be absolutely excruciating, and it’s pretty much required because of garbage rules of ‘polite’ society so I wanted to give you advanced warning.”

“There’s no way to get out of it?” Artemis did not find the idea of being goggled at by rich people like a monkey in a zoo particularly appealing.

“Best case scenario, Catwoman shows up to steal everyone’s jewelry and we get to sneak out in the confusion.”

Barbara snorted. “I’ll be there too. Which is stupid. Policemen’s balls are bad enough.”

“At least you don’t have to go to all the ones _I_ have to go to. I have to be ‘Dickie Grayson, Brucie Wayne’s little circus brat’ _all the time_. And half of them don’t realize that not being racist to my face doesn’t work if they still do it within earshot. You’re going to have to deal with that too,” He warned Artemis, “Sorry.”

That was the second time someone had mentioned the circus. “Circus brat?”

“I lived in a circus until I was eight. Part of an aerialist act.” He explained.

“Wow.” That was almost as crazy as Artemis’s childhood. Almost.

“Yep.” Dick agreed. “But enough of me whining—“

“Thank god.” Barbara said.

“—Are you an archer, Artemis?” He continued, ignoring Barbara.

Artemis’s blood ran cold for a second. Part of her brain was blaring alarms. “Why do you ask?” She managed, barely maintaining her calm.

He gave her what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. “Your name. Artemis, goddess of the hunt and archery.”

She forced herself to relax. “No, not really. The only kind of bow I’ve ever shot is the NERF kind.”

He gave her a smile that made it seem like he knew more than he was letting on. “Too bad. The Gotham Academy Archery team _sucks_.”

“You aren’t even on it.” Barbara reminded him.

Dick tilted his head back, which would have probably been sticking his nose in the air if he’d been sitting up, and said, in a very convincing snobby rich-kid voice. “As the son of one of the supporters of this academic institution, I must ensure that it excels in every category.”

“Ugh,” Barbara said, “You sound like Hill.”

“Yuck.” Dick replied, and Artemis could understand the sentiment. She’d only met the mayor’s son in passing, but even then she could tell that he was one of the worst here.

“Do you do any other athletics?” Barbara asked, and it took a moment for Artemis to realize the question was for her. “Dick and I are both on the Varsity Gymnastics team.”

“Varsity? Wait, are you guys juniors?” Artemis asked. She was pretty sure both the girls’ and guys’ gymnastics teams here were too competitive to have underclassmen in them.

“I’m a sophomore,” Barbara said, “Dick’s technically a freshman, but he skipped a grade so he’s actually an eighth grader.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

Artemis cut them off. “So how are you on varsity?”

“Well wonder kid over here’s been an acrobat since before he could walk, and I’m supposedly an Olympic hopeful for 2016 sooooo…” Barbara trailed off. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, um, no, I’m not much of an athlete.”

“Any clubs that interest you?” Dick asked. Seeing her confused look, he added, “Because, you know, you have to join an extracurricular because you’re here on scholarship.”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Artemis said, “All the clubs here seem really… intense.”

Barbara snorted. “Understatement.”

“If you value your free time Archery team or Astronomy club are going to be your best bet. They meet way less than everything else.” Dick informed her.

“Astronomy might be fun, but I’m not an archer.” Artemis reminded him. She knew that associating her civilian identity with archery would be a really stupid idea.

Dick shrugged, like _suit yourself_. “Or you could join debate or mathletics.”

“Ugh, don’t try to convert any more innocents to your wicked ways.” Barbara said.

Dick stuck his tongue out at her.

“Real mature.”

He reached up and put his hands behind his head. “I try.”

“You’re such a—“ Barbara started, but then Dick cut her off.

“Shh. It’s starting.”

The band had finally gotten up on stage, and after a few of the usual pleasantries (“Heeeelllloooooo Gotham Academy!”) they started in on their first song.

About a minute in Barbara leaned over towards Dick and asked, “Is it just me, or is this really _bad_?”

Artemis snorted. “It is not just you.”

After another few seconds, Dick said, “I think I’m done. You want to get out of here? There’s a new pizza place with an arcade like, three blocks from here.”

“Would they even let us out?” Barbara asked.

“No, but security on after-hours events is never as tight as it should be, and these uniforms are surprisingly good for stealth.”

The two of them stood but then didn’t leave.

“Uh, are you two just going to stand there or what?”

They both looked at her. “Aren’t you coming?” Barbara asked.

Artemis blinked, surprised. “Well. I, uh, I shouldn’t sneak out…”

Dick snorted. “Come on. You can’t want to stay _that_ bad. This music is terrible, and something makes me think that you didn’t want to come here in the first place anyway.”

Artemis sighed. He had her there. “Alright, sure, but we’ve gotta find somewhere to stash my blanket.”

Dick grinned. “What do you take me for, an amateur? I know a place we can put it on our way out.”

 

* * *

 

Artemis started getting texts from Dick two days after the concert, which was weird, because she didn’t remember giving him her number.

They were mostly mundane, puns and questions about what the math homework was (he was better at math than her, which was just unfair) they didn’t hang out again- she was just too busy between school and team missions- though they did chat in class a couple of times.

It was about a week before the charity gala she was supposed to go to that he called her for the first time. In the middle of the night.

She rolled over in bed and grabbed her phone, not even bothering to check caller ID.

“Kid Mouth I swear to god, unless someone’s dying—“

“Who’s Kid Mouth?”

Artemis blinked, pulling the phone away from her head to look at the caller ID. “Dick!? What the hell are you doing calling me at—“ She checked the clock. “—One in the morning!?”

“Is it that late already?”

Artemis growled.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just, Barbara asked me to call you and find out if you wanted to go dress shopping with her tomorrow. Well, today, I guess.”

“Dress shopping? Why the hell would I need to go dress shopping?”

“I don’t want to be rude here, but I kinda doubt you have a dress for the gala already.”

Ok, that was true. She’d been watching the thrift store near her house for the past week, hoping something nice enough might turn up, but so far she hadn’t had any luck.

Dick took her silence as acquiescence. “Barbara needs a dress too. She figured you could look together.”

Artemis considered it. Barbara seemed practical enough that shopping with her wouldn’t be a total nightmare. “I think I’m free tomorrow.”

“Great, do you know where the downtown Shelia’s is? She’ll be there at ten.”

“Shelia’s!?” Artemis exclaimed, “I can’t afford _socks_ from Shelia’s.”

“Yeah neither can Barbara, which is why Bruce is covering it. He doesn’t want to bankrupt the scholarship kids just because they have to come to the gala.”

“Uh, okay.” Artemis would probably have a reaction for that, but she wasn’t awake enough to do any emotion other than angry.

“Great. I’ll see you- Well, Barbara will see you then!” He hung up before she could say anything else.

Artemis put her phone back on her bed stand, grumbling about nocturnal freshmen.

 

* * *

 

Even with Dick’s warnings, Artemis was unprepared for the gala.

She’d had half a dozen horrible conversations with members of Gotham’s high society, each more infuriating than the last. She’d only just managed to escape from the last one, some politician who had asked her whether she was _grateful_ for the chance to escape _poverty_ , and she was seriously considering hiding under the snack table for the rest of the night.

“Well _someone_ looks like they’re having fun!” A voice chirped behind her.

Artemis whirled around to see Dick leaning on the wall behind her, looking way more innocent than he probably was.

“The next person who asks me if I miss _China_ loses their fingers.” She growled.

He snickered. “I’d pay to see that.”

She glared.

He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, geez. Trying to make a joke here.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I know. Sorry I bit your head off.”

“Hey, it’s fine. Bruce can’t even stand these things, and he has more patience than the two of us combined.”

Artemis looked over at where Bruce Wayne was chatting up a circle of models while he downed his umpteenth glass of champagne. “It looks like he’s having fun.”

Dick snorted. “And how many drinks do you think he had to make it that way?”

She watched Bruce take yet another drink from a waiter. “…Fair.”

“Anyway, the reason I came over here is because I stashed a deck of cards behind that plant earlier and I was wondering if you wanted to play some under-the-table B.S. Which is like regular B.S. except you play it while hiding under the dessert table and you lose if you’re the one who yells loud enough that we get caught. I already recruited Barbara.”

That did sound fun (Or at least, better than _this_ ) but… “Why are you being so nice to me?”

He cocked his head to the side and frowned. “Why not?”

“No, I just mean that there’s seven other scholarship kids here, three of them closer to your age, and most of them are in the same boat as me. Why do you care? Why me?”

He shrugged. “Because I think you’re cool? It was fun hanging out with you at the concert and I figured that you might have had fun too?” He paused. “Or was I reading to much into that? I can leave you alone if you want.” He looked saddened enough by that idea that Artemis rushed to correct him.

“No, no, I just thought…” She didn’t know what she thought. That maybe he was just fulfilling some obligation to be polite to the scholarship kids? He didn’t seem like the type to care about appearances that much.

“Well, want to play until you figure it out?”

She let all he breath out in a puff. “Yeah, sure.”

Twenty minutes later, Artemis had lost three hands of B.S. and was working her way towards a fourth.

“Why are you two so good at this?” She complained.

Dick grinned. It looked downright spooky in the low light under the tablecloth. “I’m a performer. I know how to sell a lie. Barbara probably just memorized all the cards in the pile.”

Barbara smirked. “Memorized implies that I had to work to do it.”

“Never play anything for money against either of you, got it.” Artemis commented.

Artemis lost that hand and was about to lose another before they were discovered.

“Dick, I know you’re under there. Tell Artemis and Barbara that the point of appearing at this gala is actually _appearing_.”

“ _Busted_.” Dick mouthed, scooting towards the other end of the table.

“And don’t even think about trying to escape.”

Dick pouted, but lead the way out from under the table. Artemis and Barbara followed.

Bruce Wayne was holding Dick by the elbow. “What did I say about disappearing?”

“To not to because you wouldn’t be able to find me in an emergency.”

“Mm hm, and?”

“Not to bust anyone else out either. But I didn’t Bruce! We were in here the whole time!”

“Somehow I feel like you’re getting into semantics.”

Dick pouted some more, and Bruce looked up.

“You two aren’t my responsibility, so you’re free to go.” Bruce looked at Barbara. “Tell your dad I said hi.” He glanced over at Artemis. “Nice meeting you, Artemis, glad to have you here.” He then went right back to chastising Dick.

They were only just out of earshot before Barbara started laughing.

“Oh my god I always forget how _weird_ he is!”

“Who, Dick?”

“No, his _dad_. Weirdest man in Gotham.” Barbara paused, contemplating. “But Dick’s pretty weird too.”

“That he is.” Artemis agreed.

 

* * *

 

“Rob- er- Dan!” Artemis called. _Damn it where’d he go_. He’d looked… _shaken_ by the idea that Haly could be masterminding this. Artemis saw his irritation for what it was: fear. She’d never known Robin to be afraid, and frankly, the idea that he was kind of scared her.

She rounded the corner and found Robin looking at the old posters lining the boxcars.

“There you are!” She yelled. “I’ve been looking all over! Come on, it’s freezing, we should get inside.” She reached out and touched his shoulder, and Robin honest-to-god _jumped_. Artemis flinched backward, startled that she’d startled him. Robin was always hyperaware of his surroundings.

After he recovered for a moment he said, “Sorry, Art— Diane. I Guess I was lost in thought.”

She shook herself. “No, it’s fine. I just came to tell you we should go back inside. It’s freezing and I think Super— _Dean_ ,” She corrected, “Has cooled off.”

He gave her a weak smile. “Yeah, okay.”

They started walking back the way she came. “So, uh,” She hesitated to ask, but it felt important, “Why are you so skeptical about Haly being involved?”

He stopped, turning to one of the posters they were passing. “That’s why.”

Artemis looked up at it. It was a traditional circus-style poster, depicting several silhouettes in the middle of what looked like an aerialist act. The top of the poster said “Flying Graysons” In ornate letters.

 _Oh_. She hadn’t known this was _that_ circus.

“Five years ago,” Robin said, “This circus stopped in Gotham. A mobster named Tony Zucco tried to extort Haly for protection money. When Haly refused to pay, Zucco sabotaged the show’s opening act. So I guess I just think that these crimes are… out of character, for Mr. Haly.”

“How do you know all this?” _Artemis_ knew all of this of course. She’d googled Richard Grayson not long after she met him, but as far as she knew, Robin had no connection to the Grayson story.

“Batman and I were the ones who caught Zucco.”

“Oh.”

He turned to her, clearly forcing a smile. “We should get back inside, yeah?”

She startled out of thoughts about how well the happy kid she played B.S. with under a table must have fit in here- and how well _Robin_ seemed fit in here, too. “Yeah. Yeah lets go inside.”

 

* * *

 

It was only about three weeks after the big fight with the League on the Watchtower that Artemis got the text from Dick.

> **DG**
> 
> Hey can u be at W manor in an hour?
> 
> **Artemis**
> 
> I’m free yeah, but why?
> 
> **DG**
> 
> Just be here. Bruce is finally letting me
> 
> **Artemis**
> 
> Letting u what?
> 
> **Artemis**
> 
> Dick?

Artemis was confused. She’d been to the manor a couple of times since the gala to hang out, so it couldn’t be that Bruce was finally letting Dick have her over.

Realizing she’d never get an answer if she didn’t go, she grabbed her coat and wallet off the floor and ran out. Hefting her wallet, she was glad that she finally had transportation, rather than having to spring for a taxi. Green Arrow had given her a motorcycle for Christmas- a regular one, not one of the team-issued enhanced ones. She hoped it had enough gas to get her all the way out to Bristol without having to fill up.

“Mom! Going out!” She yelled, running out the door rather than waiting for a response.

She wondered about why the hell she was being summoned the whole ride out, barely even noticing where the cold January air cut into the small gap of skin between her jacket and her helmet. She was so checked out that she didn’t even realize she was at the manor’s gate before she was being buzzed in.

She parked her bike in the front driveway and ran up the steps, going out of her mind with anticipation. (Though, knowing Dick, it was probably ‘eat unlimited cookies’ or something)

The door flew open before she even knocked and suddenly she was being dragged along by her elbow.

“Come on!” She’d never seen him so excited.

“Dick, what—“

“Don’t ask, just walk!”

“But—“

All of a sudden they were in a room lined with bookshelves and Dick had stopped in front of an old grandfather clock.

“We’re here!”

“Dick, this is a clock.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s what’s _behind_ the clock!”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Dick grinned at her, then spun around with a dramatic flourish and opened the clock face panel. He moved the hands to a different position and then waited expectantly.

“Dick, what are—“

She was interrupted by a loud grinding noise, and then the clock started to _move_.

After a second, the clock had slid far enough to the side that she could see a tight passage with stairs descending into blackness.

“What the hell—“

“Come on!” Dick said, grabbing her hand and pulling he down the passage behind him.

“If you’re planning on murdering me down here then— Woah.”

The passage had suddenly opened up into an _enormous_ cave. She could see a huge bank of computers, what looked like a med bay, a training area, and— was that a _T-Rex_!?

“Wha- what is this place?” She asked. “It’s almost like—“ She caught sight of the car parked over next to the computers. She’d never seen it before in person, but any self-respecting Gothamite knew the _Batmobile_ on sight.

“The Batcave?” Dick offered, somehow behind her though she had no idea when _that_ happened.

Artemis whirled around to see Dick giving her one hell of a self-satisfied smirk. It was an expression she knew well.

“ _No way_.” She breathed. “You’re _Robin_?”

He bowed theatrically. “The one and only.”

She was torn between ‘oh my god how did I not see it?’ and ‘this is literally the most ridiculous answer to who Robin is possible’ She settled on, “What the actual hell.”

He snickered “You should see your face right now.”

She slowly lowered herself to the floor, not 100% trusting her legs. “This whole time?”

“Are you asking if I’ve been Robin this whole time, or if I’ve known your secret identity this whole time? Because yes to both.”

“Wait.” She paused, staring at where she could see what liked like the Batsuit hanging in a case. “Does this mean Bruce Wayne is Batman?”

“Yep.”

“Shit.”

“Yep.”

She glanced up at him. “Who else knows?”

He lowered himself to the floor next to her. “Wally’s known since before we started the team. Miss M might know, just because of the incident in Bialya. I’m gonna tell everyone else when we meet tomorrow.”

“Why tell me first?”

“Because you’re the only one- other than Wally, of course- who knows me in both identities. I figured it might be a bigger deal for you.”

She snorted. “Got that right.”

They sat in silence for a moment before something else occurred to her. “That’s why Wally wasn’t with us on the Haly’s mission.”

“Yeah, about that—“ he scratched the back of his head. “That wasn’t an official mission. That was me using the team to do a favor for an old friend. Sorry about that.”

She thought about how Robin had sounded standing in front of those old posters. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to just ask. You know we’d all be there to help you with something like that in a heartbeat.”

He smiled. “I know.”

“Thanks for telling me, and like, helping me with school and stuff even though I wouldn’t know it was you.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.” He stood, offering her a hand up. “Since you’re here, I may as well show you around. Ever wanted to sit in the Batmobile?”

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't mention the whole "We'll laugh about this someday" thing because I don't think Artemis got a good enough look to remember who it was. Though she probably woke up in the middle of the night a week after she found out and whispered "son of a Bitch." because she finally made the connection.


End file.
